Community Development Foundation
Community Development Foundation is a 75-year-old nonprofit Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization serving Tupelo and Lee County, Mississippi. It provides tiered membership services, networking events, business recruitment, workforce development, and the Find Your Tupelo talent attraction initiative to 1,100+ member businesses.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1949
- HeadquartersTupelo, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Community Development Foundation does
Community Development Foundation (CDF) is a private, nonprofit membership-based Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization serving Tupelo and Lee County, Mississippi. Founded in 1949 (with the firmographic record citing 1948), CDF operates as a dual-function institution: it runs the local Chamber of Commerce for member businesses and simultaneously serves as the designated economic development organization for Tupelo/Lee County, coordinating with the City of Tupelo, Lee County Board of Supervisors, and the McLean Leadership Circle members (Cadence Bank, North Mississippi Health Services, Renasant Bank). The organization does not operate a technology product; its platform consists of standard membership management software (business.cdfms.org) supporting a member directory, event calendar, and ChamberAdvantage affinity discount program.
CDF generates revenue primarily through tiered membership dues ranging from $350/year (Business Investor) to $50,000/year (McLean Leadership Circle), with intermediate tiers at $650, $1,250, $3,500, $7,500, and $20,000. Secondary revenue streams include event fees and sponsorships for Business After Hours, Wake Up!, Business Roundtable, Taste of Tupelo (a regional trade show with 100+ exhibitors and 1,300+ attendees), and the annual REACH Campaign held March through April. The organization also manages a digital Chamber Connection 2.0 newsletter distributed to over 4,000 subscribers monthly.
CDF's core offerings span business development seminars, networking events, leadership classes, ribbon-cutting publicity, business referrals, site selection for prospective employers, workforce development programs (notably the Tek 2 Go Camp co-sponsored with Itawamba Community College, Toyota Wellspring, Hawkeye Industries, and Spark Force Foundation), and talent attraction through its Find Your Tupelo initiative. The organization operates the Renasant Center for IDEAs business incubator and runs the CDF SELECT Building Program to provide immediate-access industrial space. CDF is consistently recognized by Site Selection magazine as a Top 10 economic development organization in the United States.
Community Development Foundation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Community Development Foundation
- Legal name
- Community Development Foundation
- Website
- https://cdfms.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1949
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Community Development Foundation is a 75-year-old nonprofit Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization serving Tupelo and Lee County, Mississippi. It provides tiered membership services, networking events, business recruitment, workforce development, and the Find Your Tupelo talent attraction initiative to 1,100+ member businesses.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Community Development Foundation industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Services
- NAICS
- Business, Professional, Labor, Political, and Similar Organizations (8139), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)
- SIC
- Services-Membership Organizations (8600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA), Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)
Keywords
Where Community Development Foundation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tupelo
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Community Development Foundation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Membership Dues: CDF generates primary revenue through tiered membership dues ranging from $350 to $50,000 annually, with multiple business investor levels and leadership circle tiers providing different benefits and access levels to chamber services and economic development programs.
- Event Fees and Sponsorships: Revenue is generated through event fees for Business After Hours, Wake Up! events, Business Roundtable, Taste of Tupelo, and other chamber activities. Sponsorship opportunities are available for events, with marketing opportunities during the REACH Campaign held annually from March through April.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Business Investor - Entry level membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Premier Business Investor - Mid-tier membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Executive Business Investor - Upper mid-tier membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Corporate Business Investor - Corporate tier membership |
| Subscription | Annual | President's Leadership Circle - Leadership tier |
| Subscription | Annual | Chairman's Leadership Circle - Executive leadership tier |
| Subscription | Annual | McLean Leadership Circle - Highest tier membership |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Community Development Foundation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Community Development Foundation (CDF) operates the local Chamber of Commerce and the economic development organization for Tupelo/Lee County, Mississippi. It sells tiered business memberships ($350–$50,000 annually), delivers networking and leadership events (Business After Hours, Wake Up!, Business Roundtable, Taste of Tupelo), and provides economic development services including business recruitment, retention and expansion, site/building listings, workforce development programs, and a business incubator (Renasant Center for IDEAs).
Product overview
Community Development Foundation (CDF) is a membership-based Chamber of Commerce and economic development organization serving Tupelo and Lee County, Mississippi. Rather than offering a traditional technology product, CDF provides a suite of member services including a business membership directory, networking events (Business After Hours, Business Roundtable, Wake Up!, Taste of Tupelo), the ChamberAdvantage affinity discount program, workforce development initiatives, business recruitment and retention services, and site/building availability resources for economic development. The organization does not operate a software-as-a-service platform but rather serves as a community and business development organization with a website presence for member management and information distribution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Find Your Tupelo: An initiative of CDF created to attract and retain top talent in Tupelo and Lee County, Mississippi.
- ChamberAdvantage
- Chamber Connection 2.0
- CDF SELECT Building Program
- Renasant Center for IDEAs
- Taste of Tupelo
Products and services
- Chamber Membership - Business Investor Tier
- Chamber Membership - Premier Business Investor Tier
- Chamber Membership - Executive Business Investor Tier
- Chamber Membership - Corporate Business Investor Tier
- Chamber Membership - President's Leadership Circle
- Chamber Membership - Chairman's Leadership Circle
- Chamber Membership - McLean Leadership Circle
- Business After Hours Networking Events
- Business Roundtable Events
- Taste of Tupelo Trade Show
- CDF SELECT Building Program
- Business Recruitment, Retention and Expansion Services
- Renasant Center for IDEAs Business Incubator
- Find Your Tupelo Talent Attraction Initiative
- Tek 2 Go Camp Workforce Program
- ChamberAdvantage Affinity Discount Program
Companies that use Community Development Foundation
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Community Development Foundation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Community Development Foundation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Itawamba Community CollegecoreCo-sponsor of Tek 2 Go Camp providing workforce development programs in advanced manufacturing skills including CNC machining, welding, robotic painting, and robotic welding for regional students. Partnership addresses skilled worker demand in advanced manufacturing sector.
- Hawkeye IndustriescoreCo-sponsor of Tek 2 Go Camp providing hands-on advanced manufacturing career exposure for students, supporting workforce pipeline development in the region.
- Toyota Wellspring Education FundcoreCo-sponsor of Tek 2 Go Camp supporting workforce development initiatives in advanced manufacturing, aligned with Toyota's educational investment strategy in the region.
- Spark Force FoundationminorCo-sponsor of Tek 2 Go Camp contributing to regional workforce development programming for youth in advanced manufacturing careers.
- City of TupelocoreMcLean Leadership Circle member and municipal partner in economic development initiatives. City government collaborates with CDF on regional development projects and business growth.
- Cadence BankcoreMcLean Leadership Circle member and financial services partner providing banking services and financial support for economic development initiatives in the Tupelo/Lee County region.
- North Mississippi Health ServicescoreMcLean Leadership Circle member and regional healthcare provider supporting community health initiatives and economic development through workforce investment and community programs.
- Renasant BankcoreMcLean Leadership Circle member and financial institution supporting economic development initiatives. CDF's business incubator is named the Renasant Center for Ideas, indicating significant partnership support.
- Lee County Board of SupervisorscoreMcLean Leadership Circle member and county government partner in economic development, providing political support and resources for regional business growth initiatives.
- Tupelo Visitors Convention & BureauminorPartner organization providing visitor information and tourism resources for individuals and businesses relocating to Tupelo/Lee County.
- Downtown Tupelo Main StreetminorPartner organization supporting downtown development and community quality of life initiatives in Tupelo's historic downtown district.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Community Development Foundation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Birmingham Business Alliance: Integrated chamber and economic development partnership serving the Birmingham region. Closely mirrors CDF's combined chamber/ED structure and Site Selection–style accountability for jobs and capital investment metrics.
- Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce: Mississippi-based chamber and economic development organization with a similar hybrid mandate to CDF, serving the Jackson metro. Closest in-state peer and most direct competitor for state-level attention, sponsors, and prospective employers.
- Des Moines Partnership: Mid-sized regional economic development organization repeatedly recognized by Site Selection magazine. Highly comparable on EDO-recognition model, leadership-circle sponsorship tiers, and workforce-attraction programming.
Broad incumbents
- Greater Memphis Chamber: Hybrid chamber of commerce and economic development organization serving the Memphis metro region. Directly comparable to CDF's dual chamber/ED mandate but at a larger metropolitan scale, providing a benchmark for tiered membership and ED programming.
- Mississippi Economic Council: Statewide business association and public-policy advocate that complements local chambers like CDF. Comparable in member-tier governance and policy function but at state-wide scale rather than local.
- Economic Development Partnership of Alabama: Public-private partnership conducting statewide business recruitment and retention in Alabama. Comparable EDO mandate and Site Selection ranking orientation, though at state scale versus CDF's county focus.
Regional players
- Monroe-West Monroe Chamber of Commerce: Louisiana-based regional chamber with economic development function and tiered membership model similar to CDF. Comparable on small-city chamber economics and ED programming.
- Greater Hattiesburg Area Chamber of Commerce: Regional Mississippi chamber and ED-adjacent organization with similar small-staff, tiered-membership operating model. Useful peer for benchmarking staffing ratios and SMB-driven chamber economics.
Emerging players
- MakeMyMove: Platform connecting remote workers with incentive-bearing relocation destinations across multiple U.S. cities. Comparable to Find Your Tupelo at a platform level and a potential partnership/distribution channel for CDF's talent-attraction efforts.
- Tulsa Remote: City-led talent attraction program paying remote workers to relocate to Tulsa. The closest functional peer to CDF's Find Your Tupelo initiative and a leading indicator of how a place-based talent attraction platform could scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Community Development Foundation social profiles
Digital presenceCommunity Development Foundation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Community Development Foundation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Community Development Foundation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Community Development Foundation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Community Development Foundation
What does Community Development Foundation do?
Community Development Foundation (CDF) operates the local Chamber of Commerce and the economic development organization for Tupelo/Lee County, Mississippi. It sells tiered business memberships ($350–$50,000 annually), delivers networking and leadership events (Business After Hours, Wake Up!, Business Roundtable, Taste of Tupelo), and provides economic development services including business recruitment, retention and expansion, site/building listings, workforce development programs, and a business incubator (Renasant Center for IDEAs).
Is Community Development Foundation a public or private company?
Community Development Foundation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Community Development Foundation founded?
Community Development Foundation was founded in 1949. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Community Development Foundation based?
Community Development Foundation is headquartered in Tupelo, United States, in the North America region.
How does Community Development Foundation make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Membership Dues are the primary driver. The others are event Fees and Sponsorships.
Who are Community Development Foundation's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Birmingham Business Alliance, Greater Jackson Chamber of Commerce and Des Moines Partnership. Broad incumbents are Greater Memphis Chamber, Mississippi Economic Council and Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. Regional players are Monroe-West Monroe Chamber of Commerce and Greater Hattiesburg Area Chamber of Commerce. Emerging players are MakeMyMove and Tulsa Remote.
Does Community Development Foundation have an API?
No public API is recorded for Community Development Foundation.
What industry is Community Development Foundation in?
Community Development Foundation's product category is Chamber of Commerce and Economic Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAIACAN, Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local), with a secondary code of THAHACAA, Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies). Its NAICS code is 8139 and its SIC code is 8600.